RUSI Defence Systems

Issue: Mar 2007, Vol. 9, No. 3

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Index

Editorial Notes - Winter/Spring 2006/2007 Bill Kincaid

The RDS Military Interview - Admiral Sir Jonathon Band Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, UK's First Sea Lord

The RDS Industrial Interview - Robert Bell Robert Bell, Corporate Account Manager for Europe, SAIC

contention@rusi.org - Platforms: Quantity vs Quality In our last issue, contention@rusi.org examined the funding of the UK’s defence policy, which is seen to be inadequate. As the funding shortfalls escalate, salami slicing and moving programmes to the right increasingly produce an unbalanced programme with the danger that the UK is falling between the two stools of quality and quantity. Too little of the former and we risk being unable to operate effectively in high-intensity warfighting, while too few platforms and servicemen undermine our ability to carry out counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism over lengthy periods. Have we got the balance right? If not, do we need more quality or quantity?

RUSI Acquisition Focus - The Underfunded Equipment Programme: Where Now? The RUSI Acquisition Focus was formed in March 2006 to provide expert, objective views on aspects of defence equipment acquisition. The Focus meets three times a year and cannot, therefore, provide detailed solutions to the issues discussed, but it does pinpoint the essential arguments as viewed by a widely experienced group. This, its third paper, considers the essential issues surrounding the underfunded equipment programme and the options that can bring coherence for the future.

The Debate: Has Artillery Lost its Way? In our Autumn edition, we published a section entitled ‘Has Artillery Lost its Way?’ Several problems and solutions were identified and Major General (retd) Jonathan Bailey concluded that: ‘The demise of the field artillery, like the long-predicted demise of the tank, is still a dangerous delusion too far.’ Jon Schreyach replies.
Jon Schreyach

The Debate: The Dynamics of UK Defence Procurement Defence procurement is a recurring topic in RUSI Defence Systems and this issue is no exception, with Philip Pugh, Paul Nixon and Dr David Moore debating whether recent initiatives are working or not. The House of Commons Defence Committee also takes a lively interest in the subject and has recently examined both the Chief of Defence Procurement and the Minister for Defence Procurement. Tony Purton was there.
Tony Purton

The Luftwaffe Perspective on UAVs Klaus-Peter Stieglitz is Chief of Staff of the German Air Force. In this article he describes the Luftwaffe’s plans for the operational use of unmanned air vehicles in various capability areas.
Lieutenant General Klaus-Peter Stieglitz

The Italian Air Force Perspective on UAVs Orazio Panato is the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force. He puts the case for a synergistic mix of manned and unmanned aircraft for a modern air force and considers what transformation in equipment, command and control, and mind-set is required.
Major General Orazio Panato

Evolution of Unmanned Air Vehicles Maurizio Cheli, a former Italian Air Force test pilot and astronaut, is Chief Test Pilot for combat aircraft at Alenia Aeronautica. Fabio Ruta is an aerospace engineer and the manager of the UAV/UCAV programmes at Alenia Aeronautica. In this article, they consider the benefits and challenges of operating unmanned platforms.
Maurizio Cheli and Fabio Ruta

Future UAV Procurement: Disruptive Innovative James Masey is an independent consultant on unmanned systems. This article discusses how disruptive innovation may influence decisionmakers, both industrial and military endusers, in the procurement of unmanned aircraft systems.
James Masey

The Royal Australian Navy: The Recent Past and the Near Future Russ Shalders is Australia’s Chief of Navy. In this article, he discusses his vision for the Royal Australian Navy, its operational tasks and major equipment decisions that will be made in 2007.
Vice Admiral Russ Shalders

Effective Air Command and Control Glenn Torpy is the UK’s Chief of Air Staff. He looks at the requirement for effective command and control (C2) and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconaissance (ISTAR) in the increasingly complex operations of today; the relation between knowledge and command; importance of logistics C2; and the need for realistic and regular training.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy

Centralised Planning and Decentralised Execution: Have the Fundamental Principles of Air Command and Control Changed? Hans de Jong is Commander Royal Netherlands Air Force. In this article he considers the air command and control requirements for operations in Afghanistan and compares them with those espoused by Lord Tedder in a different era.
Lieutenant General J.H. de Jong

C2 and Multi-Nationality: The Joint Force Operating Base Joachim Wundrak, German Air Force, is the Deputy Director of the European Air Group. He considers the difficulties in streamlining command, control and support of multinational forces and concludes that we need to pay more than lip service to the concept of operating together.
Brigadier General Joachim Wundrak

Delusions of Management Philip Pugh is an independent consultant who has worked extensively on cost models that are now in use in UK, France, Germany and Australia. He examines the ‘illusory improvements’ quoted by the McKane Report from the National Audit Office’s Major Projects Reports and says that serious deficiencies within the current UK defence procurement system will not be cured until MoD abandons such flawed assumptions.
Philip Pugh

The Revolution in Defence Acquisition Affairs: Why Smart Acquisition is Working David Moore is Course Director of the Defence Acquisition Management MSc at UK’s Defence College of Management and Technology (DCMT) and Paul Nixon is a Contract Manager in the Maritime Domain of the Defence Logistics Organisation and a part-time Doctoral Student at DCMT. They look at what Smart Acquisition is achieving and how the more recent initiatives of the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Defence Technology Strategy and Enabling Acquisition Change will carry forward those achievements.
Paul Nixon and Dr David Moore

Funding Global War Capabilities Jean-Tristan Verna is the French Army Deputy Chief of General Staff for plans, policy and finances, including force development and procurement. He discusses the changes required in the procurement process in France to meet today’s capability requirements, and how relations with the defence industry will now have to be managed in a through-life approach.
Major General Jean-Tristan Verna

Russia’s Defence and Aerospace Industries and the New Era Guy Anderson is editor of Jane’s Defence Industry magazine, author and editor of Jane’s World Defence Industry yearbook, industry editor of Jane’s Defence Weekly and a regular contributor to the UK Defence Forum. In this article, he looks at the state of Russia’s defence and aerospace industries and the trend towards renationalisation by the Russian Government.
Guy Anderson

Asia’s Arms Industries Dean Cheng is a senior analyst on military and security affairs at the CNA Corporation, a non-profit defence think-tank based in Virginia, USA. In this article he looks at the state of the defence industries in Japan, South Korea and China.
Dean Cheng

Complex Weapons: Challenges for Industry Chris Conroy looks at progress and challenges in the Complex Weapons sector. This paper appears in the electronic version only.
Chris Conroy

Polish Public Procurement: A Reality Check Wladek Rzycki is a Partner of Hogan & Hartson in Warsaw. He discusses the consequences of recent changes in procurement law in Poland in the bid to establish a fair and incorrupt procurement system.
Wladek Rzycki

Logistic Support to Operations: An Australian Perspective Christopher Spence is Commander Joint Logistics in the Australian Defence Force. In this article he looks at some of the problems, and their solutions, in coalition operations both where Australian forces are in the lead and also where they act as a smaller partner.
Air Vice-Marshal Christopher Spence

Joint Sea Based Logistics: Passing the Sea Power Test Roger Ireland was Group Logistics Coordinator of the Royal Navy task group in the First Gulf War and on the staff of the Joint Force Logistics Component supporting 45 Commando in Afghanistan in 2002. In his current appointment, he leads the Capability section of the Logistics Division of FLEET HQ with responsibility for logistic oversight of future capability.
Commander Roger Ireland

USTRANSCOM in Peace and War Charles Fletcher is the Director of Operations and Plans for the United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Commanding General of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. In this article he describes the evolution of USTRANSCOM, its current responsibility and its future direction.
Major General Charles W. Fletcher Jr

Transforming German Army Logistics: From the Cold War to Today’s Challenges Kurt Schiebold is Director, Maintenance Corps and Commandant of the German Army Maintenance School and Army School of Engineering. Frank Kammerer is G3 in the Force Development Division in the German Army Maintenance School and Army School of Engineering. They describe the impact of the change on German Army logistics from Cold War to expeditionary operations and the new logistic structures that are having to be built.
Brigadier General Kurt Schiebold and Lieutenant Colonel Fran

Building Logistics Within the Professional Army of the Czech Republic Peter Hajna and Zdenek Malek are on the staff of the Department of Logistics in the University of Defense in the Czech Republic. They discuss the issues surrounding the construction of modern logistic support for the Czech Army as it transforms from a conscript to an all professional force of agile, light forces, with high reliability and low support requirements.
Colonel Peter Hajna and Lieutenant Colonel Zdenek Malek